Jaguar I-Pace interior, dashboard & comfort

The I-Pace’s interior looks as slick and modern as the exterior does. Despite the battery cells under the floor, the driving position is excellent; lots of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel mean you can make it feel more like an F-Type to sit in, with the wheel up high and close to your chest.

In fact, the stubby bonnet is joined by a vast expanse of dashboard inside to give the I-Pace the feel of a long-nosed classic Jaguar. The interior is also wonderfully airy; a huge panoramic glass roof, thin A-pillars and large windows create a real sense of space inside. All trim levels come with plenty of equipment and the infotainment system, while not as easy to use as the best rivals', looks great and does everything you want.

Jaguar I-Pace dashboard

The I-Pace’s interior feels like a leap forward for Jaguar. The panoramic touchscreen is the focal point, and otherwise everything is quite conventional but feels solidly put together. Lovely, well damped metal switches on the stalks and around the interior, dense-feeling leather and textured materials make this the best-quality interior to grace a Jaguar for many years. It also feels appropriately modern, with touch-sensitive buttons on gloss-black panels and a digital driver readout to compliment the twin touchscreens – the lower of which is reserved for climate-control and stereo functions.

Equipment, options and accessories

The I-Pace is available in three core trim levels, called S, SE and HSE. All get LED headlights, sports seats, a 10-inch touchscreen, sat nav, DAB digital radio, cruise control and a reversing camera.

Mid-range SE steps up with 20-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, a powered tailgate, leather upholstery and auto-dimming, power-folding mirrors. Range-topping HSE has its own 20-inch alloy wheel design, active LED headlights that shield oncoming traffic from glare, hands-free tailgate opening, Windsor leather upholstery and a surround-sound speaker system.

There’s a decent spread of colours to choose from, including seven metallic shades and two special metallics. A carbon-fibre pack is sure to be popular, as is the contrasting black roof and panoramic sunroof, privacy glass, and a range of different colours for the interior trim and leather upholstery.

Infotainment, apps & sat nav

The Touch Pro Duo infotainment system – so named for the glossy 10-inch touchscreen and accompanying five-inch screen set beneath – looks great, but certainly takes some getting used to. The lower screen operates the climate control and audio system, while the ‘proper’ screen is there for navigation, all your Apple CarPlay or Android Auto screens, and the car’s settings.

There’s no haptic feedback (where the screen vibrates slightly so that you know you’ve hit a virtual button), which can also make the screen tricky to operate on the move – especially when trying to select one of the small shortcut buttons along the bottom of the display. Voice control is also included, although we had little success with getting it to work properly during our time with the I-Pace.

There are also ‘Smart Settings’ that learn your preferences for audio, climate and seat preferences, which should make things easier if you swap between drivers regularly. It's a good-looking system with all the functions you could want, but it is the least intuitive of the impressively high-tech systems in its rivals.